The Manly Shaving Thread

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Well I finally got round to moving to a DE razor after about a year of umming and arring haha! Got some Birthday money and as I had just bought my new PC had no real need of much else so I bought this lot-

Merkur 34C Heavy Duty Classic
Progress Vulfix 404 Grosvenor Mixed Badger and Boar Bristle Shaving Brush
The Bluebeards Revenge Luxury Shaving Cream (100ml)
Derby Extra Double Edged Razor blades
FREE 10 Astra Platinum Double Edged Razor Blades (Only 1 Free Offer Per Order!)

Also signed up for the newsletter so that got me an extra 10% off at the shaving shack so all in for 50 quid.

Hopefully I will get on alright with it, I have to shave everyday for my job and Gillette fusion blades are now barely staying sharp for a week due to my thick stubble.
 
I had my first shave with a DE razor this weekend. I have:

EJ DE89
Jermyn street shaving cream for sensitive skin
Derby blades and feather blades
and the basic brush from shaving shack

I think it went well for my first time. I don't think I used enough shaving cream as I feel it was a bit thin. I had a few little cuts on my neck as that was the area I had the most trouble shaving and a couple of moles got nicked a little. I suspect practice makes perfect and experimentation with other blades (I used Derby blades this time)
 
Sider said:
I had my first shave with a DE razor this weekend. I have:

EJ DE89
Jermyn street shaving cream for sensitive skin
Derby blades and feather blades
and the basic brush from shaving shack

I think it went well for my first time. I don't think I used enough shaving cream as I feel it was a bit thin. I had a few little cuts on my neck as that was the area I had the most trouble shaving and a couple of moles got nicked a little. I suspect practice makes perfect and experimentation with other blades (I used Derby blades this time)
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I've used the same combination with both Feather and Derby blades apart from different cream and can definitely say that the Feather blades are much better.
 
I got a funny pong from brush tonight, I used hotter water than usual and I could smell a plasticy/chemical smell. Thought all the hairs were gonna fall out of the brush with softning whatever resin or what have you is holding them in. Seems o.k. though now, just won't be using water that hot to soak my brush again.
 
First shave, ouch, quite a few nicks - totally my fault.

Second shave, much improved, still a few nicks but felt much better.

Guessing it takes a few goes for the unfortunate ones, practice makes perfect. Good on those getting great shaves first time! I'm not quite getting the sound, my angle must be a bit off.
 
Probably putting too much pressure on the shaver. It took me a while to get it and essentially all you should be doing is using the weight of the shaver rather than applying pressure.


M.
 
Anyone have any advice on shaving hairs on the throat?

I have this patch of hairs about mid way down on the right side of my throat,and no matter which angle i go at i cant get a decent shave in this patch,its also sore and red afterwards for a few days.

I do use Gillette Foam,Razors & Aftershave balm.
 
Many modern gels are actually quite good, some even contain lubricants like teflon! Shame they all smell (and feel) like cheap deodorant :D
Face lathering with a nice brush will help, I find single blade razors better for those areas too (DE, BIC etc)

Feek said:
I have three soaps on order from Mike's Natural Soaps so looking forward to trying them once they arrive.[/font]
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Ohh, which ones did you get? Looking forward to a see what you think, I've got my eye on a few...

oL said:
Can anyone recommend a good shaving brush which lasts a long time? I.e. hairs not falling out after 12 months :p

I have a Progress Vulfix 660 and the hairs started to fall out after a year or so.
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It could be due to excessive pressure, the longevity of badger hair is usually directly related to how its treated.
Shaving shack has a good guide. http://www.shaving-shack.com/blog/how-to-care-for-a-shaving-brush-top-tips-for-maintaining-your-shaving-brush/

mrbell1984 said:
This looks rusty. :( I wouldn't dare use it.
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Brass, nickel, rhodium etc don't rust :p (I use barbicide for overkill sterilisation) Here's another bargain 'rusty' razor I recently won on ebay. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-gillette-safety-razor-in-metal-box-with-extra-box-with-smal-mirror-/160921694513?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&nma=true&si=ZHdKL2zy8iwzDn94ptlnm5ZMEdM%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

It's a beautiful silver plated #88 from the early 1930s (fancy two piece Gillette NEW).

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Fantastic shaver, I can see why many think the 'NEW' is one of the best DE razors ever made. The '38 popular is even better imo :cool:

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Yep, packaging during this era is epic! You can't beat a velvet lined, nickel plated brass case :D The Bakelite ones are just as stunning and easier to use/restore.

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Hello Gents,

Please accept my apologies in advanced - I am aware that this question will have been answered in the earlier >2350 posts however I'd like to ask it again for a number of reasons:

1) The answer may now be different based on current offers (or price increases)
2) The answer may now be different based on a larger number of uses since the start of this thread
3) The answer may not be different should better models have been released

In summary (it really is a quick one!) I'd like to ask for a complete DE shaving set for Christmas. Assuming I have nothing at this time can somebody please help me to piece together a suitable order that will be ideal for a beginner but high enough quality such that I can expand in the future should I choose to.

Items that I would like include:

-DE shaver
-Blade selection box
-Brush
-Soap and/or other consumables required
-Shaver and brush stand (ideally all-in-one with a soap bowl under the brush)
-Anything else as recommended

I have looked at all of the stores mentioned in this thread and each appears to cater better for one or more of the items above. It would be ideal if all items could be sourced from the same place to simplify my Christmas gift request however it really is perfectly acceptable to order from a variety of outlets if the final purchase will benefit.

As for cost - I'd ideally like to hit in the region of £50-70 with a maximum of £100 - I am not sure if I could source all of the above in this price range and would appreciate advice on this. If I will be only a little out of range I may consider stretching it slightly but I'd hope it would be possible to get a good starting setup within this budget.

Coming from a largely electric shaving backup and more recently a Gillette Fusion as a 'bridge' to DE I am sure any setup advised here would be fantastic. I really look forward to your input.

Thank you!
 
Here's what I'd like for a starter/gift set.

DE Razor - Edwin Jagger DE89 barley: £26 or Muhle R89 (Cheap option: Wilkinson Sword Classic for £4)
Blade selection box - http://connaughtshaving.com/popular.html
Brush - Vulfix 660S super badger: £15 (Cheap option: the Body shop one for £5)
Soap - Proraso Eucalyptus: £5 (Cheap option: Palmolive shave stick for 50p, buy one anyway!)
Shaver and brush stand - No idea, I could do with a rack now tbh! :p
Anything else as recommended - A good moisturiser and maybe a ~£5 Alum block.
 
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Hi Sarge,

Thanks for your reply! In terms of the shaver you have mentioned two different models. Based on what should I decide which of the two is most suitable to me? Looking at the prices you've listed the difference between the two is not substantial and therefore that is not a consideration. Which is best? I appreciate it's likely to be a personal opinion but as I have no basis from which to compare it which would you go for? :) Also the Merkur 34C gets a lot of love for beginners. Would you still consider your recommendation to be better than this?

Anybody else have any opinions? Especially interested in suggestions for the shaver/brush stand. I've found lots of reasonably priced ones but they do not have the integrated soap bowl which I'd prefer. Might consider getting a separate soap bowl if no other suggestions are forthcoming! :) I've also noticed things like a shaving cup, etc. Worth getting anything like this?

Thank you! :)
 
The DE89 and the R89 use the same head, the only difference is the handle so the shave from each of them will be the same. Having now got a Merkur razor, the build quality isn't as good as my DE89, it has some manufacturing marks so I'd go for the DE89/R89 rather than the 34C.

I bought a cheap stand for my brush but don't use it any more, I just stand the brush on the handle to dry. Some manufacturers recommend standing bristles down, some say bristles up but personally I don't think it makes much difference as long as you give it a good dry when you're done.

The only thing I use my bowl for now is to soak the brush as I'm exclusively face lathering. It feels so much nicer as you build the lather directly on your face :)
 
i now have a alum block that im using in the hope of stopping the rash and spots on my neck.

Problem i have is the hairs on my neck all go different ways. Is there anyway of getting them all to go the same way?
 
I think your stuck with them Gavin, I have a patch on the right of my neck that does the same, find an angle that causes the least grief but still shaves & that might be as good as it gets, unless someone knows better.
 
So I had a shave yesterday with my bluebeards cutthroat/shavette and I thought everything was fine but as the day progressed and this morning my cheeks (on my face lol) are a bit sore and raw. I have been using the cutthroat for months and haven't had a problem like this before. It's like I have taken off a layer of skin. It's not a fresh blade but it's also not an old one. I probably changed it last week and I don't really grow much on my cheeks but the razor is handy for getting a neat goatee like thing. Any advice?
 
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